Coconino Community College recently released the results of its most recent institutional research survey that surveyed more than 11,000 households in Southern Coconino County, including the cities of Flagstaff, Leupp and Sedona. The 37-question survey showed that more than 91 percent of respondents enrolled in a CCC course rated the quality of instruction as either excellent or good. CCC also received high marks for the programs and courses it offers, with an approval rating at 81 percent and 78 percent respectively.

The survey was part of an ongoing research series conducted by CCC, with the assistance of Northern Arizona University's Hospitality Research & Resource Center, to learn more about how the community perceives the College and its programs. The research series is a component of CCC's Strategic Plan to build greater awareness about the diverse educational needs of county residents, and allows CCC to better serve the community.

"CCC is continually looking for ways to improve and ensure those in the community are provided with the programs necessary to be successful, " said Dr. Steve Chambers, Director of Institutional Research and Assessment at CCC. "Each year we survey one of the county's three areas because it is important to understand where we excel and where we can grow. This year, we focused on the county's southern portions, and again we were very pleased with our findings."

Highlights of Survey Results:

Over 11,000 surveys were mailed to southern Coconino County residents in Flagstaff, Leupp, and Sedona.

Of surveyed participants that have enrolled in a CCC course, 91 percent ranked course quality as excellent or good.

65 percent of respondents hold at least a bachelor's degree.

The four most common responses to the question of "What do you think of when you hear the words Coconino Community College" were:

Available weekend and evening courses

Locations throughout the county

Modern facilities

Offers degrees and certificates that are relevant to employment opportunities

Southern Coconino County includes more than 70 percent of the county's population, and therefore is a good representation of countywide opinions of CCC. More than 1,000 residents participated in the survey, which was administered from the beginning of January through mid-February 2012.

Other Survey Highlights:

More than 40 percent reported an interest in increasing the availability of one-day workshops (painting, welding, etc.), and evening and weekend courses to help them achieve their educational goals of changing careers, improving employability, starting a business, enhancing academic skills, or learning a trade or skill.

62 percent reported being satisfied with the programs and services provided by CCC, with only less than 5 percent dissatisfied.

The data from these surveys are useful in helping CCC strengthen its strategic marketing efforts. Based on these survey results, CCC plans to focus on highlighting its lower tuition costs, its many options for those seeking new career paths and the earning potential its degrees and certificates provide.

Spring Commencement Honors Founders and Grads

Graduates prepare for CCC's Spring Commencement Ceremony

Coconino Community College hosted its 2012 commencement ceremony May 11 to celebrate this year's graduating class of nearly 300 students. The Lone Tree Commons was packed with faculty, staff, family and community members who attended the graduation to observe the conferring of degrees. Chairman of the District Governing Board Patrick Hurley presented the degrees.

CCC President Dr. Leah L. Bornstein recognized the hard work and dedication of the founding District Governing Board members who overcame adversity to provide local residents affordable higher education within the county. Because of their efforts, CCC has served more than 65,000 local learners to date. Former Northern Arizona University President Dr. Eugene Hughes was also honored for his supportive role. In addition to offering verbal support for the College, Dr. Hughes lent CCC its first President to relieve the cost burden before state funding was received.

During the address, founding board member Paul Neuman, founding steering committee member Pattie Gibson, and Shannon and Rich Gottschammer, family members of late founding steering committee chair John Kavanagh accepted a commemorative plaque thanking them for their service.

CCC Foundation board member Christopher Bavasi was honored as the Distinguished Service Award winner, CCC's highest honor bestowed on a non-employee or student. Guistwhite Scholar and Mistress of Ceremonies Kelly Miller shared the President's Medallion honors with fellow Guistwhite Scholar and student speaker Cathleen Goodell. The President's Medallion Award is usually awarded to only one student, but both students were awarded this year because of their exemplary record of leadership and academic achievement. In keeping with tradition, last year's Full-Time Faculty of the Year recipient Emily McRobbie also addressed the graduates and attendees.

Page Dean Sets Date for Retirement

For Dean Lloyd Hammonds, the most rewarding part of running the Page campus for Coconino Community College is working with students.

"The thing that stands out is working with students and seeing students graduate with associate degrees and certificates, and watching many of those transfer to four-year universities," Hammonds said. "Working with students from different cultures in the community was also something beneficial."

After 14 years in Page, Hammonds recently announced that he is set to retire in October. Before coming to northern Arizona, Hammonds was Vice President at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis.

"The opportunity to run a campus attracted him to the CCC job," he said.

Hammonds' connection to Page and the students runs deep, he was not just a "behind the scenes" administrator, but made it a point to teach a history or political science class at least once a year. "It was really important for me to get to know the students and their interests," said Hammonds.

The Dean also felt it was important to get to know the community, forging important relationships with local businesses, community organizations, K-12 school administrators and local government.

Known for his intellect, Hammonds is respected by his peers as a deep thinker that always seemed to be the voice of reason when looking at the College's challenges. When the Higher Learning Commission self-study and visit were nearing, Hammonds was the obvious choice to lead the steering committee, guiding the College flawlessly through the process which took more than two years to complete.

During his 14-year tenure at CCC, Hammonds said that his most significant contribution as Dean was the expansion of programs and services at the Page/Lake Powell Campus. His biggest challenge has been in balancing the demand and needs for programs and services from the community in the face of budget cuts from the state.

As with any successful career, there is often an encore, and Hammonds is planning his as he prepares for retirement on October 31. Hammonds will stay active as a Higher Learning Commission consultant and said he is entertaining the idea of running for the District Governing Board (DGB) position that will be vacated by current DGB member Val Gleave in November.

Hammonds said he is excited about the possibility of becoming a DGB member.

"It would be fun, challenging, and a great way to stay connected to higher learning and CCC," he said.

Of course, as a retiree, Hammonds also wants to take advantage of his freedom by traveling and spending more time with friends and family.

No matter which path Hammonds chooses in retirement, the CCC faculty, staff and students wish him well, and thank him for his many years of service to the College and the Page community.

Student Awards CeremonyBringing Out the Best

CCC's new student body officers (from left) John Wells, Katherine Beck, Hope Brosseau, and Joshua Dixon pose for their first picture together after being sworn in by former President Cameron McGeshick

About 200 people came together May 9 to honor Coconino Community College students at the 2012 annual Student Awards Ceremony. This year's ceremony was the biggest yet. CCC President Dr. Leah L. Bornstein gave opening remarks and CCC English Professor Jerry Baker also spoke.

Each department honored a student for academic performance, and CCC2NAU honored successful participants. Also honored were the Student Veteran of the Year and Student Employee of the Year. This was the second year that student campus involvement and leadership was also recognized. Seven campus organizations honored their advisor with a plaque, and each club member also received a certificate.

Also announced were the new Associated Student Body Officers for 2012. The students and offices elected were: John Wells, Student Body President; Katherine Beck, Outreach Senator; Hope Brosseau, Vice President; and Joshua Dixon, Social Events and Clubs Senator.

Congratulations to the following Page campus students who earned Spring 2012 Academic Excellence Awards:

Vannya Bazan

Mary Ann Bedonie

Deborahe Boone

Shelby Couch

Heather Joe

Nonabah Kee

Viola Robinson

Shandiin Tallman

Nathan TracyRyan Whitehorse

Nurse's Pinning Ceremony is the Beginning of the Path to Success

New graduates line up at the 2012 Nurse's Pinning Ceremony

Coconino Community College's nursing program continues its success. The Spring 2012 Nurse's Pinning Ceremony was May 10 at the Lone Tree campus. The Arizona State Board of Nursing has frequently reviewed the success of the nursing students passing the National Council Licensing Examination - Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) as a measurement of the competency of the program instruction. Although this graduating group has not yet taken their NCLEX-RN exam, 100 percent of the graduating group from Fall 2011 passed the exam, officials said.

CCC's nursing program began in 2002. Since then, school officials working alongside the Arizona State Board of Nursing have continued to increase the rigor of the program, which has led to increased competency and student success.

Coconino Community College recently completed the third cohort of Leadership Academy training for leaders and emerging leaders within the college community.

The CCC Leadership Academy, a collaborative training organized by CCC Human Resources and the Community and Corporate Learning Division, was taught on Fridays throughout the spring semester.

Leadership classes and topics such as Leadership in the 21st Century, Team Building, and Performance Management were just a few of the subjects covered during the 16 week academy. The CCC Leadership Academy is taught by CCC employees, thus providing a substantial cost savings to the college.

Trip to Page to View Solar Eclipse Wows Students and Faculty

2012 annular solar eclipse in Page, AZ

CCC Science Professor Kevin Mullins organized a field trip for an eager band of outer space explorers to meet near Page, Arizona and view the annular solar eclipse on May 20

Mullins led about 20 CCC employees and students to Page to learn about the rare event where the moon blocked a portion of the sun. Not everyone in the country was able to see this annular eclipse, but Page just happened to be one of the best places to view it.

An annual eclipse happens when the moon is at the perfect distance from the Earth, so that it appears relatively smaller than the sun; in a total eclipse, the moon appears to be the same size as the sun. This happens because the moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle, but rather is an eclipse, putting it sometimes a bit further from the Earth than others.

An annular eclipse gets its name due to the ring, or annulus, (nicknamed "the ring of fire") that forms around the moon when the eclipse reaches maximum.

The Coconino Community College Foundation recently received $31,000 from The Raymond Educational Foundation. CCC Foundation President Kevin Stephens graciously accepted the check June 4 at the Flagstaff Elks Lodge. "We are very grateful for The Raymond Educational Foundation's contribution to help students further their education by providing much needed assistance," Stephens said.

The Raymond Educational Foundation has been providing scholarship assistance to Flagstaff and Coconino County students since 1959. The Raymond Educational Foundation is one of CCC's largest donors and continues to make a significant difference for many CCC students. Each scholarship recipient receives $500 per semester to assist him or her with tuition and books. This year, the general CCC scholarship fund will receive $25,000 and the CCC2NAU program will receive $6,000.

Dr. Bornstein addresses the NAU Social and Behavioral Sciences Class of 2012 Commencement Ceremony at the NAU Skydome as she is awarded an honorary doctorate

Northern Arizona University presented Coconino Community College President Dr. Leah L. Bornstein with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at NAU's Spring 2012 commencement ceremony on May 12. NAU President Dr. John Haeger said the degree recognizes Dr. Bornstein for her dedication to enhancing the quality of local higher education and for her many collaborations with NAU.

Dr. Bornstein and Dr. Haeger have spent four years building a multi-faceted partnership between CCC and NAU to help steer student success and ensure that CCC students are completing their bachelor's degrees at NAU. It began with the CCC2NAU program, but has evolved into several other initiatives that combine student services, conserve resources and enhance the education experience.

Congratulations to Dr. Bornstein for this significant milestone in her brilliant career!

CCC Faculty of the Year Awards

Coconino Community College's Faculty of the Year awards for 2012 have been announced. This year, Ruth Foster is being honored as Full-Time Faculty of the Year and Benning Tieke is being honored as Part-Time Faculty of the Year.

CCC Students and Faculty Fight Hunger with Art

Ceramic bowls created by CCC faculty and students for Flagstaff's

11th Annual Empty Bowls Benefit fundraiser

Students and faculty from CCC donated over 150 handmade ceramic bowls this year to the Empty Bowls Benefit. The Flagstaff event was held June 1st at Flagstaff's Heritage Square. The 11th Annual Empty Bowls Benefit was sponsored by the Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy. The event combines art and giving back to the community by raising money for causes that work to fight hunger.

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to give relief to those who are hungry within local communities. Local artists and students create bowls which are donated and sold on the day of the event. Bowls range in price from $5 - $25. The bowls are filled with a tasty treat that varies from year to year, ranging from ice cream to homemade soup. The central message of the event is that every time you use the bowl, you will remember all of the empty bowls around the world.

Kudos to the students and faculty that have donated their time and talent once again to help this great event!

CCC recently hired Dr. Russ Rothamer as Vice President of Academic Affairs, a well-respected seat on the College's executive leadership team. Rothamer has dedicated more than 25 years to higher education as an administrator and professor. He is a recognized leader in developing meaningful initiatives that help institutions meet and surpass their growth goals.

"Russ is results driven and has a strong track record for spearheading successful student programs. He will be a valuable asset to improving the College's learning experience and expanding its reach," said Dr. Leah L. Bornstein, CCC President.

Auxiliary Services Clerk Experience is Welcome

Please welcome Connie Fletcher to the Auxiliary Services Department. Connie has several years of experience in duplicating and copy services. If you haven't already met Connie, feel free to stop by and say "Hello" the next time you are in the area!

VanCleave Returns to Flagstaff as the New SBDC & CCL

Administrative Assistant

CCC welcomes Magi VanCleave as the new SBDC & CCL's Administrative Assistant. She has a strong professional background in marketing, writing, and office administration, and recently returned to her original home of Northern AZ after living in Denver for 5 years.

Magi recently told us, "I am pleased to be part of an organization that serves the local community and am enjoying the opportunity to use my experience to further the mission of CCC and the SBDC."